Mary and Jeff Bell Library

Picture Postcard of Corpus Christi, 1948.

Kilgore Picture Postcard Collection

The late Dan Kilgore, benefactor of Special Collections & Archives, collected a large body of historic picture postcards with the same care and thoroughness that he assembled his Texana books. Consisting of approximately three thousand items, the Kilgore Picture Postcard Collection was conveyed to Special Collections & Archives by his widow, Carol Isensee Kilgore, and is part of the larger Kilgore Collection. These postcards deal mainly with Corpus Christi and South Texas from 1905 through the 1970s. They contain images of historic architecture, cityscapes, methods of transportation, industry, the military presence in the region, ethnic groups, recreation, community groups, humor, wildlife and nature, and other subjects.

The Kilgore Picture Postcard Collection contains common, rare, and unique postcards. Altogether, the Kilgore postcards are an important source for documenting and illustrating Corpus Christi and South Texas history.

To make this holding more accessible to researchers, Special Collections & Archives has scanned 152 of the most important of these historic images dealing with Corpus Christi. These items are shown below and cover Corpus Christi urban development from the early 1900s to the mid 1960s. All images bear a descriptive caption and were selected for inclusion based on the significance of their content. Altogether, they present many aspects of Corpus Christi as it emerged from a small town into a city ofregional importance.

Permission to use any of these images must be obtained from the Special Collections & Archives Department, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Bell Library. Any use is prohibited without prior permission. These images are at 72 dpi. A&M-Corpus Christi will provide these images in greater resolution upon request.

7PC-68 Miramar Mercantile Co. Corpus Christi, Texas. Card showing Leatherwood Building with Miramar Mercantile sign on front corner; people standing in doorway on first floor; people on porch of second floor, ca. 1906. 7PC-68

7PC-75 "Taylor Street, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing unpaved street, looking toward waterfront; church building on left side of street. Pavilion Hotel in background at the end of the street, ca. 1912. 7PC-75

7PC-76 Street scene, Corpus Christi. Card showing a group of men walking down the street, obviously an organization meeting with some women and children watching from the sidewalks, ca. 1920. 7PC-76

7PC-87 Chaparral Street looking North, Corpus Christi, Texas. Card showing business district of town; Lichtenstein's building in left foreground, "Butterey's" sign on right and many cars on street, ca. 1940. 7PC-87

7PC-95 "Looking east from the Driscoll Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing part of business section of town; signs visible are: Sherwin-Williams, Ashmore Paint, Continental Trailways, and Western Auto Supply; and small part of Corpus Christi Bay seen in the background, ca. 1945. 7PC-95

7PC-100 "Water St. looking South. C.C., Tex." Card showing residential part of town with houses on each side of street; shrubbery planted on both sides of the sidewalks, ca. 1925. 7PC-100

7PC-102 "Pleasure Pier, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing stone breakwater in background; many people walking on pier; numerous small boats tied along the pier; several larger boats in open water to right of the pier, ca. 1935. 7PC-102

7PC-115 "East Shore Line Drive Corpus Christi-Texas." Card showing Corpus Christi Bay in the right background; grassy area with palm trees in the left foreground; numerous cars in both lanes of the boulevard, ca. 1948. 7PC-115

7PC-140 "Main approach to the Bluff, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing Coppini sculpture; stairway to top of Bluff and part of the Presbyterian Church at the right and a residence to the right, ca. 1928. 7PC-140

7PC-146 "Corpus Christi, Texas 1922." Card showing part of the Bluff with houses along Upper Broadway; one flight of stairs to Lower Broadway; section of city downtown; 1914 Courthouse and Corpus Christi Bay in the background, ca. 1922. 7PC-146

7PC-182 "Residence of Mrs. H.M. King-Broadway Corpus Christi-Texas." Card showing front view of house and part of yard with palm trees and other planting; sidewalk to fence along front of lawn, ca. 1907. 7PC-182

7PC-252 "Bird's Eye View of Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing view of business district of city with Corpus Christi Bay in the background and a streetcar in center of the picture with the "Coopers Clean Bakery" sign on building in the foreground, ca. 1912. 7PC-252

7PC-254 A street scene in "Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing view of business section of town with Corpus Christi Bay in background; 1914 Nueces County Courthouse at the top left of the picture, ca. 1914. 7PC-254

7PC-269 Skyline of Corpus Christi, Texas. Card showing business section of city with Port of Corpus Christi in the background, L-Head and T-Heads along with part of Shoreline Drive, seawall, and Corpus Christi Bay in the foreground, ca. 1955. 7PC-269

7PC-275 Card showing a view of downtown Corpus Christi taken from the bluff overlooking the T-Heads and Corpus Christi Bay, ca. 1959. 7PC-275

7PC-276 "Yacht Basin, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing business section of town from the air, Port of Corpus Christi in the background, and the seawall along Shoreline Drive with the T-Heads, L-Head, and breakwaters in the foreground, ca. 1943. 7PC-276

7PC-318 "North Beach. Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing view of beach with waves breaking on sand; houses built next to the beach and downtown in the left background, ca. 1919. 7PC-318

7PC-346 "Breakwater Walk, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing north end of the breakwaters where it meets the beach; several people walking along sidewalk built on top of breakwater, ca. 1930. 7PC-346

7PC-356 Airview North Beach Corpus Christi, Texas. Card showing aerial view of most of North Beach with the Port of Corpus Christi and part of the city in the background, ca. 1955. 7PC-356

7PC-456 "Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, Tex." The Corpus Christi National Bank on Chaparral Street along with several commercial building on each side on the street, Corpus Christi, Tex., ca. 1907. 7PC-456

7PC-464 "First Baptist Church, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing front of church building with two flights of stairs leading to sanctuary, ca. 1940. 7PC-464

7PC-756 "Public Schools of Corpus Christi, Tex." Card showing small pictures of four different schools: First Ward School, Third Ward School, Fourth Ward School, and High School Building, ca. 1914. 7PC-756

7PC-777 "City Hall & Market House. Corpus Christi, Tex." Card showing two-story City Hall and Market House in downtown part of the city along with several signs reading "Fresh Oysters and "Meat Market," ca. 1908. 7PC-777

7PC-782 "County Jail and Court House, Corpus Christi, Texas." Card showing front and one side of Courthouse and jail visible next door; twin staircases lead to the second floor entrance, ca. 1907. 7PC-782

7PC-813 "Corpus Christi Causeway, one and one half miles long." Card showing one bridge for cars and one for trains across Nueces Bay along with the remains of previous bridge in Bay on the left, ca. 1924. 7PC-813